


Call of the Nioh

by WrestleCrazyGamer



Category: NIOH (Video Game)
Genre: Demons, Gen, Modern Era, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:41:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26293570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WrestleCrazyGamer/pseuds/WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: The modern day has come under attack by yokai spilling out from Yomi. Izanami is furious at this deliberate offense against her authority, so she finds a human that has been living in Yomi to make her own personal Nioh. She then sends him to send the yokai back, even if he has to force them back by taking steel to them. With the entire world at stake, the combined military force has no choice but to rely on his help.





	1. Prelude - The Boy Raised By Yokai

In the warring states period of Japan, a village was assaulted by yokai of varying breeds. When morning came, the flames went out with a gentle rain. Three yokai then approached the village. They were an Onyudo, an Ubume, and a Flying Bolt. Unlike most yokai, these three deigned to live differently. There didn’t seem to be any survivors… until a sound reached the ears of the Ubume.

“Hear something?” Unyudo asked her.

“A child… they sound distressed, rather than draped in despair…” she replied.

She followed her ears and soon found a small boy with jet black hair fumbling around on the floor of a ruined home. His parents had acted as shields from the invasion, lying cold a few feet from him. She didn’t understand why he was feeling about though. She knelt down and waved, but he took no notice of her. When he looked at her, his pupils were pure white and he was glancing around as if she were not there.

“I… Is somebody there…?” the boy whimpered in a frightened voice.

“Is he perhaps… blind…?” the Flying Bolt questioned.

“Poor thing. He won’t last with eyesight like that.” Onyudo sighed.

“I’m sorry… but your parents can no longer care for you.” Ubume attempted to tell him gently.

“W-Why not…? Is it because I can’t see…?” he whimpered, sniffling.

“No, it isn’t because of that… but… we’ll take care of you from now on.” Ubume smiled, gently scooping him up.

“You do know what this will do to his lifespan, don’t you? Once torn from the fabric of the realm of the living he will no longer heed its rules upon his eventual return.” Flying Bolt asked her.

“We shall prepare him accordingly. With us he can learn to survive even with his blindness. I believe that we are the only ones who could teach him what he needs to survive.” Ubume replied.

“If you are sure, then it is your responsibility to look after growth. You are the only one of us qualified to do so, after all.” Onyudo nodded.

“Do you have a name, little one?” Ubume asked the child.

“Kotaro…” he answered.

“Well Kotaro. You can think of me as your mother from today on. I will make sure to take good care of you.” she smiled, gently stroking his cheek.

The three yokai then took the child back with them through the Yomotsu Hirasaka. In Yomi, they soon arrived at a dark temple where many friendly yokai live and call home. If there was any place in Yomi that wouldn’t be bothered by raising a human, let alone a blind one, it was here. All he needed was a bit of protection from the dark energy of the realm, at least until he was accustomed enough to be fine without losing his life. Ubume broke a fragment from her amrita chunk and skillfully crafted a necklace to put around Kotaro’s neck. When his stomach growled he blushed as Ubume laughed.

“I guess even in your sorrow you are still a growing boy.” Ubume smiled gently.

“Is it even safe for a human to eat food from Yomi?” Onyudo asked.

“I know he’ll lose his mortality, at any rate. He’ll continue to age until he’s a grown man and then remain like that. He’d be in trouble if Lady Izanami offered him food, however.” Flying Bolt answered.

Throughout the day many yokai came to see the human boy. He, naturally, had no idea that he was surrounded by yokai let alone in Yomi of all places. The food he was fed tasted delicious and those speaking to him seemed friendly enough. Despite their hospitality, his mind continued to wander to his parents. By evening, he was too tired to think and fell asleep in the lap of his surrogate mother. She gently stroked his hair as he slept, a motherly smile on her face.

The following morning, Kotaro was set next to Onyudo as he meditated. He looked around confused, but nevertheless did not move from that spot.

“Kotaro. Today I will teach you how to see without seeing.” Onyudo told him.

“What’s that mean?” he questioned, looking toward where the voice came from.

“I shall teach you the power of the mind’s eye, the ability to see your world by sensing the ki in all things living and dead.” he explained.

“I don’t get it… but okay!” he cheered.

“Now, focus. Not on anything in particular, but around you in general. Try to, in a way, sense what it looks like. Listen to the sounds you can hear, and try to picture where it comes from. Breathe in and then breathe out slowly. Keep a calm mind, and analyze everything as it becomes clear to you.” Onyudo instructed.

Kotaro continued to try and picture it, but no matter how he tried, only blackness remained. Ubume hugged him from behind after some time passed.

“You do not need to force it. You can try as many times as you like, but to attempt straining it could lead to harming yourself.” Ubume gently told him.

As she carried him around, he kept trying to sense things. Hours passed and he just could not seem to do it. A few days passed, and still no progress seemed to be made. He seemed a little sad about it, making Onyudo feel bad. He then got an idea. Grabbing black paint from one of the rooms, he used his thumb to paint a third eye onto his forehead.

“It feels funny.” Kotaro giggled.

“There. You now have a ‘third eye’. Right there it feels funny, try believing that you can see out of it.” he instructed.

“Okay.” he nodded, closing his eyes.

A strange phenomena then began to occur. He could have swore he felt his skin opening as if he truly did have one. After a minute passed, a white flame appeared before him.

“Huh…? Am… am I seeing…?” he asked curiously.

“Keep going, if it is not putting strain to do so.” Onyudo encouraged him.

That flame began to grow and expand the more he tried to press his mind. Soon shapes began to form black and white outlines. Before long, he could see the entire room. The last thing to materialize in his newfound vision was Onyudo.

“Well? Can you see?” he asked.

“You have… a super long tongue… and you’re huge… bigger than my dad...” he commented, opening his regular eyes.

“You can see me? How many fingers am I holding up?” Onyudo gasped.

“Uh… I think… that’s three…? I’ve never seen it before so I can’t tell…” he answered, squinting at his hand.

“Yes, yes! Three! Okay. Baby steps. We’ll need to help you hone that ability first before we test how much you can see.” Onyudo cheered.

Over the next few days Onyudo performed various sight exercises with Kotaro. Before long he could walk on his own reliably without bumping into something. That only spanned to inside the temple though. Stepping out would immediately disorient him, typically leading to him tripping over his own feet. One thing remained permanent - he could see the flames of life burning in the chests of the yokai around him. Slowly but surely over time, his vision began to expand and grow. Onyudo was thorough with training his third eye’s capabilities. Soon he could even spot the smallest details in a room, such as hidden passages leading under the shrine or into secret attic spaces. It was a full month before he could see entirely without aid. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the yokai around him at all.

His newfound yokai family knew that not every aratama in Yomi would be so welcoming of him though, and sought to train him to defend himself. His first teacher was a Yoki, known for their sword skill. The instructor looked very intimidating to a small boy like Kotaro, but he was kinder than his looks let on.

“Back straight, but not too tight. Humans often make the mistake of being too stiff. You must be braced but loose enough to flow like water. To survive you must be able to evade all that comes at you while striking vital points.” Yoki instructed.

Kotaro could not count due to there being no clocks, but he trained with a sword for a good three years with Yoki. His final test was dueling Yoki atop the shrine’s roof, where he displayed incredible agility and skill. He applied everything he was taught about stance and technique, while applying the style he picked up from his master known as Yoki Wildside.

“When did… when did you get so fast…? Your technique was flawless as well… you are ready for your next weapon…” Yoki panted heavily.

Skeleton soldiers then formed behind him. One of them presented a spear to him and without a word he took it.

“You will not be sparring with us to learn this weapon. We shall be teaching you self-sufficiency as well.” the skeleton delivery man told him.

Spear training with the skeleton soldiers of the shrine was his first foray away from the shrine and into the wilderness of Yomi. Unlike the realm of the living, Yomi’s wilderness was always thick and full of untamed wildlife and yokai. His third eye sight made noticing things high above and down below himself a breeze, but he’d still need to be careful. He’s still just a boy, and most yokai can easily overpower those. Ubume was worried about him always coming back with some minor injuries, but he always assured her that it was fun.

“He’s growing up faster than I expected…” Ubume sighed.

“Humans have always been that way. We yokai can live for centuries, but humans barely last one.” Flying Bolt told her.

“When he’s all grown up I can only worry about how he will turn out.” Ubume told her.

“When he’s older, Lady Izanami will take notice of him as well. Nothing happens in Yomi without her knowing, after all. The only reason she’s currently turning a blind eye is the fact he is but a boy. Once he is a man she will have reason to look into him.” Flying Bolt mentioned.

“That is what scares me. Lady Izanami is very particular about the humans allowed to reside in Yomi…” Ubume nodded.

A few more years passed as Kotaro mastered the spear, moving on to the kusarigama. His teacher for this weapon was a giant toad. He’d never seen a toad this big before.

“You are Kotaro, hmm? I see. I will train you, but just because you are still young do not think it will be pleasant training. You train under Hanzo the Demon! The ways of ninjutsu, and thus the kusarigama, shall be woven into your very being!” the demon toad bellowed.

“Please teach me!” Kotaro replied, bowing nervously.

There was a long period of silence on Kotaro’s training once he went to train with Hanzo the Demon. No one had even seen Kotaro since the day he left with his new master. That is until one spring morning. The yokai of the shrine could have sworn they were seeing things. Out of the corners of their eyes they kept seeing movement, but upon looking found nothing out of the ordinary.

In Ubume’s room, she was fraught with worry about Kotaro, as always. A tile in the ceiling then opened, and then Kotaro dropped in wearing ninja gear with a kusarigama at his hip. She couldn’t help letting out a loud gasp upon seeing how much he’d grown.

“Sorry I dropped in instead of using the door, mom. Master said my final test is returning to this room without being seen.” he smiled apologetically.

“Kotaro… you’re home!” she cried, hugging him tightly.

“Master said it was important for my training to have no contact so my focus would always be one hundred percent.” he told her.

“I’m just happy to have you home.” she laughed through her tears.

His return was very warmly received. Everyone was a little taken aback at how much he’d grown since his departure. He was almost an adult now and had quite a well-trained physique. His training was far from over though. He needed to learn wrestling techniques and martial arts. The actual moves he was learning from Onyudo and a few other bare-fisted yokai. The practical application opponent for them…?

“Why do  _ I _ have to be his dummy…?” Flying Bolt huffed.

“You’re the only one here at the shrine in roughly the same weight and size class as him. He’ll learn to deal with larger foes later.” Onyudo replied.

“It is for his training, so suck it up.” Yoki huffed.

“You’re all going to Izanami’s Bedchamber…” she grumbled.

“I apologize about this, Miss Flying Bolt.” Kotaro spoke, bowing.

“You aren’t the one at fault, kiddo. Just, try to be gentle…? I already know this is going to hurt like hell so if the damage can be lessened...” Flying Bolt told him.

“There’s no point if he holds back. On the battlefield one must be relentless to survive. Go at her with your full strength.” Onyudo told them.

Kotaro kept slipping apologies in now and again, but he continued to practice his new moves with Flying Bolt. In the years he continued to practice and learn, he became quite the tough young adult. Things normal humans would find strenuous he did with ease. In his spare time he applied what he knew of other weapons to self-teach the axe and odachi. Slowly but surely he became quite the formidable foe even for Onyudo himself. His human limits had slowly but surely begun to disappear one after another.

It all culminated in the appearance of a blood moon, something that in Yomi tells that Lady Izanami is near. Sure enough, a powerful dark realm engulfed the shrine as a gorgeous pale woman with very long black hair appeared at the torii gates in a burst of dark ki. Her bangs hid her face and her black and purple kimono appeared ragged and barely held on her. Every single yokai in the shrine was extremely nervous as she stepped barefoot into the courtyard.

“Bring to me… the human called Kotaro.” she demanded in a soft yet commanding tone.

The yokai were extremely nervous, but to their surprise Kotaro came out on his own. He was still a young man, but was more physically fit than most humans. He’d long outgrown the shirt he once wore, making his body muscles fully visible.

“Am I in the presence of Izanami-no-Okami?” he asked.

“Perceptive. I come to you today with a dilemma. I have found myself in need of a Nioh.” she giggled.

“One who brings down the wrath of Buddha?” he raised a brow.

“Yes. Only, rather than delivering the Buddha’s wrath, you will be delivering mine.” Izanami smirked.

“I am but a mortal man.” he told her.

“That is precisely why it must be you. I find yokai to be too unreliable as my vassals in the mortal realm. You are human, but you have lived your life in the hereafter. You are not like other men - you can be given my blessing, and become a true blooded Nioh.” Izanami sneered.

“I am humbled by the offer, but why does a divine being like yourself require a Nioh?” Kotaro asked.

“I shall speak plainly. Countless yokai have fled through the Yomotsu Hirasaka into the human world and are causing hell to break loose. Your goal would be to go and send them back. With words or with steel, I care not which method you prefer. They are corrupting humans and killing others, causing unnecessary bloodshed. The balance is in danger.” Izanami answered.

“I understand. I shall become your Nioh.” Kotaro nodded, kneeling to her.

“Kotaro…” Ubume whimpered.

“I will be fine, mother. Lady Izanami is granting me her blessing. I will carry out the task she has given me with the utmost caution.” he told her.

“By the authority of thy word, thou shalt be granted the title of Nioh. Kotaro, go forth and act as thy steel.” Izanami giggled before kissing his forehead.

The moment her lips met him black tattoos appeared all over his back and arms. Golden bracers then formed around his wrists as he stood. A dark purple aura rose around him for a moment and then subsided.

“I will return triumphant.” he smiled at Ubume.

In a single bound, he flew off toward the Yomotsu Hirasaka. He was soon joined by a blood red Yomotsu Shikome with a permanent smile on her face. She entered his body as a guardian spirit and his tattoos began glowing a sinister purple. What lay beyond that boulder was the realm of man…


	2. Realm of Man

It was your average day in Tokyo. The streets were full of commuting people. Standing atop Tokyo Tower was a man in a black robe. In his left hand was a glowing red crystal. He looked down upon the people with disgust as he held the crystal out over the edge.

“The people of this world shall know pain beyond measure. I shall turn the land into an eternal qliphoth…” he snarled, dropping the crystal.

It fell through the air slowly gaining speed as it began sparking with black electricity. The crystal then stabbed into a poor passerby’s head, making them face plant. It then exploded into black mist that began to spread quickly. The passerby then rose from the mist having transformed into a Yoki, screaming with fury. More yokai then began to rise from the mist and attack. Parts of the city then began to warp and distort. Amrita crystals soon began forming here and there as the man floated down from the tower as the JSDF showed up. They were gunning down yokai, but every time one would die, two would pop up to take its place. Karasu Tengus and Onyudos were picking off troops one by one as well.

Across the world this phenomena was happening, sewing chaos and bloodshed. The world governments were powerless to mount any kind of defense. The leaders went into hiding as the world became blanketed in black and red. Yokai viciously hunted down any humans they could find, all while disputing over territory.

>Six Months Later…

All was still in the blood red night as Kotaro ran out from the torii gates of the Yomotsu Hirasaka. He soon found himself in a town overrun with skeleton soldiers and dwellers. The first thing he spotted was a little girl cowering for her life as a young male JSDF soldier was fruitlessly putting pistol bullets into a dweller as it approached. With one quick motion, he dispatched it with his sword. Startled, the soldier fired at him only for the bullet to be deflected by his blade.

“W-Who are…? Are you human…?” the young soldier questioned.

“I am a Nioh sent by Lady Izanami. Take the girl someplace safe while I send these yokai back to where they belong.” Kotaro ordered him.

Kotaro set out doing just that, cutting down any yokai that he could find. His training truly paid off, being nimble and precise with his cuts. It wasn’t long before the remaining yokai in the area became aware of his presence. A swarm of gaki predictably charged, and were predictably cut down, as he approached the courthouse. JSDF vehicles were parked out in front of the building, though most of them were complete wrecks. When he opened the doors to reveal a bloodbath inside. He had to deal with many gaki and dwellers on his way to the courtroom. Opening those doors he spotted a large muscular demon with long white hair and large red fangs sticking up from its lower jaw. The demon wore what remained of a prison uniform from the waist down. Lying on the floor breathing shallowly was a policewoman with shoulder length black hair. She was covered in bruises and cuts. The demon was occasionally prodding her with his spiked club making her squeak in pain.

“Who the hell are you?” the demon huffed, pointing his club with a single hand.

“I have come to send you to Yomi, where you belong.” Kotaro replied, drawing his sword.

“What are you supposed to be? Some kind of modern age samurai? Figures the freaks would also come out… but news flash, buddy. I’ve killed thirty people. I have no problem with killing more. With this new power of mine, I’m invincible...” the demon laughed, standing up from his chair.

“We’ll see about that.” Kotaro huffed.

He charged and the demon swung only to be parried and stabbed through the gut. Kotaro then swept his legs to throw the demon across the room. In a frenzy of anger, the demon charged swinging his club wildly. Just like his Yoki teacher taught him, he parried it perfectly and punished with several sword slashes before kicking the demon sliding through the seats of the room. The demon only continued to be angrier and angrier as Kotaro kept the parry game up.

“You son of a bitch… DON’T LOOK DOWN ON ME!!!” he screamed, causing a dark realm to burst into effect.

The demon was much faster now, making Kotaro have to incorporate evasion into his strategy. His parries were only half as effective now as well, only able to punish with a single swing before needing to back off. The demon was laughing his head off as Kotaro continued to struggle. The demon eventually knocked Kotaro flying into the judge's podium. He laughed maniacally until dripping got his attention. Looking to his left, Kotaro had severed his left arm in that exchange. Snarling viciously, the demon then screamed in anger before charging the debris.

Kotaro burst from the debris before he could swing and knocked his club from his hands with a well-timed uppercut to the jaw. He had a golden aura around him as his tattoos were glowing pure white. Golden flames decorated the outside edges of his eyes as a divine emblem floated behind him. Kotaro then stomped his foot causing the dark realm to be dispelled by a holy realm, making the room appear blessed with gorgeous flowers sprouting through the floor. He then charged the demon and began laying into him with his fists, each hook and punch knocking slobber from his face. Kotaro employed all of his grapple training to make the demon suffer horribly. He then kicked the demon to the wall, dazing him.

“Let’s end this.” Kotaro huffed, lifting the demon’s club.

The demon charged him howling with rage, and Kotaro cut him off by slamming his face with his own club. The demon stumbled, half of his face slumping down showing a broken skull. Kotaro then ran him through with his club as if it were a sword, using its spikes to his advantage. The demon then fell backward, flopping lifelessly. A glowing light then exited the corpse and flew off somewhere.

“Lady Izanami awaits your arrival.” he nodded.

The divine realm then faded away as Yomotsu Shikome materialized from the divine emblem for a few seconds before vanishing into him again. His next point of attention was then the policewoman. She was badly wounded, but alive at least. The young JSDF soldier then burst into the room flanked by numerous other soldiers who looked around, armed with assault weapons.

“Ah! Mister Nioh!” the young soldier exclaimed, rushing over to him.

“This woman requires medical attention.” he replied, standing up.

“There’s a survivor here!” the soldier cried, getting the other JSDF members to hurry over.

“So this is your mythical swordsman?” one of the female soldiers asked.

“Yes ma’am! He saved me and the little girl I rescued!” the young soldier nodded, saluting.

“I thought Kaiba was hallucinating when he said there was a samurai running around. You can tell us your story when we get back to base. We lost a lot of good soldiers recently, so it’d better be good.” the female soldier told him.

Kotaro had no idea what to think of riding in a military vehicle. Until now he’d only gone places on foot. Soon they arrived at a heavily fortified military installation. In whatever space they could, medics could be seen treating civilians for injuries. Kotaro was then introduced to Japan’s current military leader Ginzo, Haru. He had to take over after the previous military leader gave himself making sure the prime minister can get away from the initial attack. When Kotaro gave his story, naturally most of them laughed. That laughter ceased with the jingling of a shakujo. A monk then entered the tent.

“He speaks the truth.” the monk told them.

“How do you know?” Haru asked.

“I can smell the air of Yomi about him, yet he is a mortal man. He is blind, yet he can see. Years of training where no man has gone before can be the only explanation for these traits. On top of it, he made short work of the yokai in that town when your men can barely topple one of them with concentrated fire.” the monk explained.

“Well, if he’s so mystical, maybe he can see what happened to my ear in the shadows in Osaka. They were supposed to report back at 0900 five days ago and I can’t risk the men to find out. I need this compound defended at all times.” Haru huffed.

“I’ll need a map.” Kotaro spoke up, crossing his arms.

“You’re going on foot?” the young soldier asked him, shocked by the notion.

“They will hear me coming if I take… whatever those are called.” he replied, nodding toward the vehicles.

“You’ll need to know the key phrase for my shadow if you find her. ‘The falling cherry blossoms are beautiful tonight’. Remember it. You’ll know it’s her by her response.” Haru told him.

After studying a map of Japan he set off on his way. The landscape was horribly warped by the dark mist and amrita crystals, but for the most part still accurate to the map. After many hours of trekking, he eventually arrived in Osaka. At least, what used to be Osaka. The entire city had been warped and twisted. Yokai were crawling around everywhere. Far and wide, bodies of innocent people could be found. Along the way he found a yokai he’d never seen before. It almost looked like a child, but its flesh was blood red. It bore three glowing golden eyes and a wild mane of purple hair. Its teeth could only be described as horribly crooked and sharp. Its hands and feet sported pitch black claws. Its only form of clothing was a ragged kimono. When he stepped, his foot snapped a branch making it’s head snap to look at him.

“OBARIYON!!!” it screamed in a high pitched voice as it charged him at insane speed.

Thinking quick he rolled around its attempt to jump on him and decapitated it. There were several yoki in the city that he needed to deal with as well. There didn’t seem to be any signs of human survivors though. No matter where he looked, it was the same. At least, save for one place. The place marked on the map as Osaka Castle. He made his way in and found a fight on his hands. The yoki, gaki, and skeletons did not appreciate his intrusion. That had to mean something was hidden here. Now and then he found human prisoners and detainees. He set them free, but instructed them to remain in their cages for now so they do not get axed by any lingering yokai.

When he reached the main castle, a gorgeous woman stood outside the doors. She held her long black hair in a braided bun and had on glasses as she scrolled through an app on her phone. She was dressed in white sneakers, black thigh highs, blue denim hot pants, a black tank top with “Love & Peace” on the chest, and an unzipped red winter vest. Kotaro approached cautiously as she took notice of him.

“Hey there, handsome. It’s a little dangerous for cosplayers to be out this time of year…” she giggled.

“The falling cherry blossoms are beautiful tonight.” he told her.

“Excuse me? Firstly it’s still light out. Second, it’s late fall. Is that some kind of cliche pickup line?” the woman laughed.

“I need to go inside.” Kotaro told her, coldly walking past toward the doors.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You can’t just hit on a girl and keep on walking.” she giggled, hugging him from behind.

“I have important business inside. Find someplace safe.” Kotaro ordered.

“Ooh, pushy much? You know, it’s super dangerous inside there. There’s a big mean old fox that eats any humans who go in. Isn’t that super scary? You should come play with me instead.” she smirked, nuzzling his back.

“I have no time for games.” he told her, coldly forcing her arms loose to enter the castle proper.

“Boo, you’re mean…  _ but I love the stubborn ones _ …” she giggled under her breath

She then trotted in after him. Just as before, he was cutting down yokai left and right. On the second floor he ran into a karasu tengu. Its speed and strength were incredible, but it was nothing compared to fighting Hanzo. In the middle of their fight, the woman’s scream startled him as she flew by delivering a swift flying kick to the tengu’s throat causing it to squawk awkwardly. She then proceeded to deliver a series of quick jabs and punches to its body before knocking it up into the air coming down on its neck with an uppercut.

“Knockout! You had trouble with this guy? I didn’t even break a sweat.” the woman laughed when Kotaro suddenly embraced her, making her face go cherry red.

“Hmph.”

“Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha?! Y-You were so taken by my skill that you can’t hold back?!” she gasped.

“If you’re going to fight, making sure you kill. Otherwise you’ll die yourself.” he scolded.

When she looked over her shoulder, he’d run the tengu through its skull. She didn’t even notice it’d gotten up. He then coldly let her go as the tengu hit the floor and continued onward.

“Hey! Not even a thank you?! I saved your ass!” she cried in agitation.

“You did no such thing. You leapt in and almost got yourself killed. You’re a liability, in other words.” he retorted without stopping.

“I’ll show  _ you _ who’s a liability!” she screamed, hurrying after him in a huff.

As much as Kotaro wished she wouldn’t, the woman continued trying to show off her moves as he cut his way through yokai in the castle. She was flexible, he’d give her that, but she was in no way striking with lethality in mind. That and having to continually save her because her cockiness was getting her in trouble was agitating him. He honestly couldn’t believe how much trouble she was. She was fuming every time he’d ignore her skills to admonish her failure to finish them off. It also didn’t help her case that he had to keep saving her from traps.

In one room countless yokai burst from a yokai mist and attacked them. His anger was close to boiling as he kept having to stop what he’s doing to rescue her when she bites off more than she can chew. An ippon-datara almost crushed her with his hammer. A yoki nearly beheaded her. A dweller nearly pounded her head in with a rock. A group of gaki almost made her into a meal. A particular karasu tengu that she took to dick kick city was very adamant on trying to snap her neck. Soon they arrived at the audience chamber after unlocking it.

“We’re here! Thanks to me.” the woman cheered.

“Identify yourselves.” another woman’s voice ordered.

“The falling cherry blossoms are beautiful tonight.” Kotaro replied.

“I’ve prepared sake to enjoy the sight.” the voice replied.

A gunshot made Kotaro jump a little at how unexpected it was. Turning to his left, the woman who had been annoying him was now falling backward with a bullet in her forehead. Kotaro let out a sigh as he stepped forward away from the body.

“I was wondering when she planned to drop the act.” Kotaro spoke, drawing his sword.

“That’s… so… mean… the person you fought here with gets shot… and you don’t even shed a tear…?” the woman snarled as she inhumanly began picking herself off the floor, her bones cracking and popping all the while.

“You’re no person. You’re a yokai. I’ve heard more than enough stories about you, Osan Gitsune.” Kotaro huffed, whirling to aim his blade at her.

He watched as the woman’s shape began to undulate and transform. Her clothes transformed into a beautiful black and gold kimono, loosely held onto her. Her mouth gained sharp blood-stained teeth as her eyes became ice blue fox eyes. Her arms and legs elongated and grew fire red fur with ash black fur around her hands and feet which now bore vicious claws. Swishing behind her now was a massive bushy fox tail. Her human ears fell off as large fox ears grew out from her hair, which was now let down and flowing wildly as it turned fire red to match her fur.

“How  _ dare _ you?! I put all that effort into making a musclehead like you fall for me, and you still resist?! It’s not easy getting beat up while maintaining a disguise you know!” Osan Gitsune screamed, making the room shake.

“Return to Yomi where you belong, or I will send you there.” Kotaro ordered.

“If you won’t play my game… THEN DIE!!!” she screamed.

Osan was naturally very fast on her feet, being a fox yokai. She easily rivaled Hanzo in terms of speed and finesse. That being said, her angered state still left her very vulnerable in most sequences. Despite that, her skin was very difficult to pierce through. He was leaving little more than small wounds with his full power swings. When she’d manage to tackle him he’d think quick to kick her off before she could do any serious damage. He was getting support from his friend in the shadows as well, who’d occasionally make a headshot leaving Osan Gitsune open. When this would happen Kotaro would use her surprisingly low weight to slam her face into his knee and use the proceeding backward momentum she has to hit her with a suplex.

She screamed in anger and managed to knock his sword out of a window before attempting to slash him apart. She hurt him a bit, but he knocked her out of it by slamming her jaw with his palm. He then pulled the kimono off of a display and used it to catch her arm when she swung again. Using her own arm against her, he flipped her over him to slam her down on her back. He then expertly grappled her using a mix of his training and cloth techniques Flying Bolt had taught him if he’s ever caught without a real weapon. On the fourth suplex, Osan burst through the floor taking Kotaro down with her into a room full of authentic samurai armor and weapons. One of the weapons in that room was an ippon-datara’s hammer.

When she leapt at him he grabbed it to slapshot her face with it disorienting her. She fell to her hands and knees holding her jaw trying to get her bearings as he set a few odachi’s edge up on the floor. He then flicked the kimono wrapping around her neck and with some difficulty due to her struggling managed to yank her up and slam her down on the odachis, but she was holding back to keep them from doing significant damage. He then twirled to use his full strength lifting the hammer, bringing it down on her to slam her face into the odachi blades making her scream in pain. When he released her she leapt back holding the left side of her face, screaming and bawling. She doubled over and rolled around violently, her screams of pain not ceasing. He then noticed something glowing on her pelvis as she rolled around. With a violent stomp on her stomach to stop her from moving, he reached down and yanked out an amrita crystal making her shriek in more pain.

“All I wanted… was a little… fun… I never wanted… to hurt… anyone...” Osan Gitsune spoke through her bawling.

Kotaro crushed the crystal in his grasp and Osan began to shrink back to human size. Her monstrous features actually became somewhat beautiful in their own right. A woman in a shadow ops outfit then hopped down through the hole in the audience hall floor.

“Agent Kaguya, Mifumi. Who are you?” the woman introduced herself.

“I am Kotaro, Nioh of Lady Izanami. I have come to send the yokai back to where they belong. The one named Haru asked me to find you.” he replied.

“Well it’s a good thing you did. She’s been trying to take me out since I lost radio contact with base. Is she still dangerous?” Mifumi explained.

“She won’t cause any more trouble. Probably. Normally she isn’t a violent yokai. The amrita crystal stuck in her must have driven her mad.” Kotaro told her.

“You have two choices. Return to Yomi and never return to this realm by force, or give me all of the information you have on what is happening before returning of your own will.” Kotaro told Osan Gitsune.

“I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you everything…” she sobbed.

“There are human survivors here. Is there a means to guarantee them safety back to base?” Kotaro asked Mifumi.

“The armored vehicle out back is our best bet.” she replied.

After leading all of the survivors and Osan Gitsune, after patching her up, Mifumi began driving. Watching them leave from the top of the castle was a Yatagarasu. It was relaying everything that it sees to the man in the black robe, who was holding a crystal ball. A scowl was on his face.

“A Nioh, eh…? No matter… one man is nothing before my army.” he huffed.


	3. Partnership

When the vehicle arrived at base the civilians were unloaded and given treatment. Kotaro and Mifumi then reported to Haru to give their report. Mifumi had been keeping a close observation of everything going on in Osaka. There were an enormous amount of yokai coming and going from the city, to where she didn’t know.

“What do you make of this ‘Nioh’, Kaguya-san?” Haru asked her.

“His skills are legitimate, sir. He took on the fox yokai Osan Gitsune by himself after she tore through my entire squad with ease.” Mifumi answered.

“Speaking of, we need to get answers out of her. I need to know what she knows.” Kotaro told them.

They then brought the yokai into a makeshift interrogation room. Kotaro and Haru then entered the room. The mere presence of Kotaro made her uneasy.

“You swore to tell what you know, so out with it.” Kotaro ordered.

“Kotaro-san, please, there’s no need to be so hostile. If she is panicked she may confuse or forget details that we need to know.” Haru shook his head.

“The man behind this… his eyes… they’re that of the ancient dragons. He gave no name. He offered me a place in his new world, a world where our presence is not denied and mankind is reminded of its place, but when I refused he forced the amrita upon me. My body and mind were warped to his will. It was like… like he was a really old friend… an old flame, even. You can’t… you can’t bring yourself to disobey…” she explained.

“A world where man grovels in fear. So it isn’t just Japan that’s suffering like this. The first thing we need to do is take back the country.” Haru huffed.

“If you want any hope of that you must defeat his generals controlling the land… but good luck doing that. They’re fierce yokai the likes who eat would-be heroes for breakfast.” Osan scoffed.

“I do not play at being a ‘hero’. I am just doing my duty as a Nioh. To think myself a hero would be shallow and not taking my duty seriously.” Kotaro huffed.

“Something a hero would say…” she scoffed.

“Where are his generals?” Haru demanded, placing a map down.

“You’re really going to try and defy him…?” Osan raised an eyebrow.

“I will cut down his generals and then he’s next.” Kotaro told her.

“Fine… I’ll see you in Yomi once you learn it’s impossible to win.” she sighed, marking several places on the map.

Once they were all marked, the yokai departed for the Yomotsu Hirasaka. Haru then called for a strategy meeting to discuss the generals. Teams were formed to gather information on them, but Kotaro was far too impatient to wait for them to return. He picked a single mark on the map and made his way on foot. The closest was located in Nagoya, marked as the Tomb of Bones.

The road there was plagued with yokai that needed culling. The road soon led him to a monorail track. Following the map he was headed the right way. Continuing on he heard a mysterious sound behind him he’d never heard before. The hairs on the back of his head stood up and he reflexively performed a tucked back flip onto the roof of a monorail train completely inhabited by yokai. He then drew his blade and swung behind him to lock blades with the odachi of another fox-eared yokai. She had long black hair, fair skin, glowing blue eyes, fox ears, and nine fox tails. She was dressed in black metal gaithers, black short-sleeved tights, a beautiful pink and blue kimono with depictions of the sun and moon on it, a tight black top underneath that, and samurai gauntlets to better hold her weapon. Her weapon itself had a gorgeous red blade with a pink cutting edge. The jet black handle had dark purple wrapping around it. The guard looked to be carved from amrita crystal into the shape of a dragon's skull, and the pommel was molded from gold to form a coiled tail.

“So you’re the little flea I heard so much about… can’t say I’m impressed.” she giggled.

“Tamamo no Mae… I might have known...” he growled, trying to push back against her with almost no luck.

“What’s the matter? Am I pressing too hard? Should I lighten up? You’re supposed to be a Nioh aren’t you?” she giggled, narrowing her eyes.

He then turned so her blade sunk down and struck the train and twirled to swing, but she’d vanished. With a quick roll backward be passed between her legs as she delivered a sweeping slash. His attempt to strike her again whiffed as she magically seemed to disappear. Her laughter filled the air as he focused around trying to find her.

“I’ll tell you what, my dear little fledgling… if you can manage to kill all the rest of this country’s generals, I’ll duel you fair and square. So be a good little fledgling… and grow into someone actually worth staining my blade with.” Tamamo no Mae’s voice mocked him.

The train entered a tunnel as he scowled in the direction the train had come from. If Tamamo no Mae was revived and brought back to wreak havoc, could the other two most dangerous Yokai also have returned? The place the monorail entered was no normal city either. It had been torn down and rebuilt into a new building altogether. He killed the yokai dwelling within the terminal and made his way up the stairs to find an entire old-fashioned city had been crafted from amrita crystals and broken rubble. It actually made it much easier for him to traverse the area than the modern buildings of the era.

The yoki and dwellers of the area were no different than normal though. He did encounter a new species of yokai he’d never seen before, known as ghouls. Ghouls are similar to dwellers, but look closer to living people and have a ravenous craving for flesh as well as the ability to use modern weaponry in a semi-precise manner. Underestimating one would be a very poor idea. Unlike dwellers though, they seemed to be able to infinitely regenerate until their head is severed. He encountered skeleton warriors as well.

He was given a real start when rapid gunfire almost put some holes in him, making him take cover. Peering over, there were aberrant soldiers wielding modern semi-automatic firearms. Kotaro had naturally never had to compete with firearms more advanced than rifles until now. One by one though, the soldiers were being taken out with headshots by an unknown gunman. When the way was clear he made his way to the gates of the main building where two Onyudo stood guard. To his shock they unleashed onmyo magic spells at him making him play it carefully. Inside of the gates he found himself receiving even more help from the unknown sniper.

It made it easier getting past the rokurokubi and yoki, that was for sure. Even enemies he hadn’t perceived yet were getting preemptively picked off. He didn’t receive much support inside of the building, but whenever he’d reach a balcony or outside area he could count on help. With how high he was climbing the sniper had to have a very good vantage point. They were an exceptionally gifted shot as well. Only very rarely did a round fail to hit its mark.

Near the top of the building he found a room that seemed to be the sight of a slaughter. Countless yokai bodies lay about. In the center of the woman was a gorgeous fair-skinned woman. She had long black hair that seemed to form a small pile on the floor. On her forehead were two large horns made from amrita. She was dressed in black shinobi gaiters, a pink short-hemmed sleeveless kimono with flower designs on it, black shinobi bracers, and a choker made from amrita crystal. She was on her knees crying for some reason.

“Are you one of that man’s generals?” Kotaro addressed the woman.

“Do… do you know where my brother has gone…?” she replied, hiccuping through her tears.

“Answer my question!” Kotaro demanded, drawing his blade.

“I was told he would be here… in this realm... but he isn't… where has he gone…?” the woman sobbed.

“Fine. You’ll reunite once you return to Yomi regardless.” he huffed, raising his blade.

“I can’t go back…! Not until I find Nobunaga…!” she screamed, and her hair then moved to strike at him like blades forcing him to leap back and block.

She turned to face him and unsteadily drew an ornate naginata with one hand. He was dealing with more than just her admittedly very poor spearmanship when she charged. Her hair was acting as six different weapons, shifting shape to suit her needs. Any wounds he seemed to make in her healed right up as well, though her physical condition was showing steady signs of fatigue. She would unleash dark realms at random as well wearing on Kotaro’s stamina as well.

Whenever her dark realm was active her hair would increase in size and length to become even deadlier. Two of the heads would even become dragon heads to breathe fire and water at him. Her spearmanship would also take a drastic increase in skill level, making her more difficult to harm. Before long she became furious and tackled him out onto the terrace as it began to storm. He unleashed his divine realm at the same time she unleashed a dark realm and the two clashed violently. His power granted by Yomotsu Shikome allowed his to slice right through her hair weapons, but it just kept growing back as he fought with her. His divine realm was healing up any wounds she would make too. It seemed to be a stalemate until a gunshot made the woman stagger. Lodged in her left horn was the 50 caliber bullet of a sniper rifle, liquid amrita bleeding out of the crystal horn. After a moment the horn broke causing the round to tumble onto the roof tiles. She stumbled more and he decapitated her, shattering her amrita choker.

“Farewell…” Kotaro huffed, his divine realm receding.

After getting back inside he culled any stragglers he may have missed. He then returned to the railway and found a young man with combed black hair dressed in a rather ragged suit waiting. He had a sniper rifle on his back, so it had to be his ally.

“Who are you?” Kotaro asked him.

“I am the emperor’s firstborn son. I would normally have you address me properly, but seeing as you are the only reason I’m still breathing you have special permission to address me as Taka.” he replied, bowing respectfully.

“I would argue that you saved me.” Kotaro smirked, crossing his arms.

“I overheard some of the yokai talking. You are the Nioh, Kotaro?” Taka asked.

“Yes. Tasked by Lady Izanami to bring all the yokai that have escaped back to Yomi. By force if necessary.” he nodded.

“One other question…” Taka swallowed nervously, stepping back.

“Yes?”

“You did decapitate that woman…?”

“I imagine you saw me do so.”

“I hope she doesn’t have any hard feelings…”

Kotaro then looked over his shoulder and was shocked. He knew for sure he cut her head from her shoulders, yet here the woman was against, stumbling toward him as if drunk or very tired. Her horn was still broken and her choker was indeed still missing from when she was decapitated.

“I cannot leave this realm yet… not until I find my brother Nobunaga. I was lied to by Sasori… so I cannot fight for him anymore. I will not find eternal rest until we return together. I took this horrid ugly shape to accomplish this, so all that I ask is to be allowed to seek him out.” she told him.

“You need to return to Yomi. The realm of the living is not a place for yokai.” Kotaro told her.

“Nobunaga? Miss, do you mean Oda Nobunaga by chance? The ruler from long ago?” Taka asked her.

“Yes. My brother, Nobunaga, was resurrected some time ago as a yokai like I was. I could not find eternal rest knowing that his soul was stolen away from his wife.” she nodded.

“Know him?” Kotaro asked Taka.

“He is an influential daimyo from long ago, the first to unify Japan. If this woman is related to him, that makes her Lady Oichi. She died alongside her husband. She could be of great help to us, you saw how she fights.” Taka explained.

“Lady Oichi. The people I am working with seem to be good at information gathering. Would you be willing to work with us to undo what this Sasori has done? In return I am sure we can find where Nobunaga has gone.” Kotaro offered.

“If you can do that, I will gladly aid you.” she nodded.

“We can take this monorail at least to near where the others have a base set up. I’ve only driven one as part of a grand opening tour… but I’m sure I can at least get us there in one piece.” Taka told them.

“Another strange vehicle…” Kotaro sighed unenthusiastically.

Once aboard, it began to take off. While in transit Kotaro noticed boxes onboard. Inside of them were more firearms that he had zero clue how to use. He found a magnum inside one of the briefcases and seemed drawn to its design, looking it over. It had a sleek silver shine to it with a fine wood finish on the handle. He simply had to ask about it now.

“What is this?” Kotaro asked him.

“That is a 44 Magnum, a firearm with high penetration power. Guns, or firearms, are very powerful ranged weapons that often outclass the bows you’re used to seeing. They aren’t very good for stealth unless you silence the barrel, but that often sacrifices some power.” Taka explained.

“I see. They certainly hold exceptional power from what I’ve seen.” he nodded.

“You almost never see bows being used for combat in this day and age. I can have someone teach you to shoot when we get back.” Taka chuckled.

Soon the monorail came to a stop at a station and JSDF soldiers surrounded it on both sides of the platform. The group then exited and they lowered their guns.

“Your Highness, thank god you’re safe.” Haru sighed, approaching.

“I have Kotaro-san to thank for it. All I could do was pick off their guards one by one.” Taka nodded.

“As for you… Mr. Nioh… we need to have a little meeting about patience and information gathering.” Haru narrowed his eyes.

“Oh yes! This is Lady Oichi. She has chosen to help us.” Taka told him.

“From history…? At this point I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, we already have a living Nioh among us and the world’s gone to hell in a handbasket. For now you need to see your father.” Haru sighed.


End file.
